Pujara set for one hundredth Test look in opposition to Australia in Kotla

Today, when even Test cricket is anticipated to be performed on a fast-forward mode, Cheteshwar Pujara appears to be the final batter of his form.

Available to play solely the red-ball format, this battle-scarred warrior has been via rather a lot since making his Test debut in opposition to Australia in October 2010.

A landmark second awaits Pujara on Friday. After 99 Tests, 7021 runs comprising 19 centuries and 34 half-centuries, Pujara will turn into the thirteenth Indian to succeed in a century of Tests with the second India-Australia Test on the Ferozeshah Kotla floor.

Patience personified, Pujara has coated the space with sheer grit and dedication. Who can overlook the 9 physique blows he took within the 2021 Brisbane Test? Besides his stone-walling ways, he owns an array of strokes, whether or not caressing the ball into the gaps or unleashing some fluent drives within the ‘V’.

Pujara can take a look at the persistence of the opposition along with his intentional, unhurried method whereas unintentionally irritating the spectators along with his gradual batting.

Not surprisingly, Pujara stays the one Indian to face 500 deliveries in a Test innings. Again, it was in opposition to Australia in March 2017 at Ranchi the place he scored 202 off 525 balls. He surpassed the report of Rahul Dravid whose 495-ball 270 got here in opposition to Pakistan at Rawalpindi in 2004.

In spite of being blessed with run-amassing abilities, Pujara has typically attracted criticism for his incapacity to rotate the strike. Ironically, the person anticipated to reassure his teammates along with his calm method on the crease in difficult situations , on events, has made batting seem as essentially the most troublesome process.

After Dravid’s retirement, Pujara’s function was nicely outlined nevertheless it proved a tricky journey. Even after lengthy durations of wrestle, if Pujara retained his place, it was solely because of the religion of the crew administration.

After all, when it got here to offering solidity and batting in hostile situations on abroad excursions, Pujara was all the time the go-to man.

However, typically it’s obscure and justify Pujara’s over-cautious method.

In January 2018, Pujara wanted 53 deliveries to attain in opposition to South Africa at Johannesburg. In the method, he took away the doubtful report of the slowest to attain in a Test innings from Dravid who used up 40 deliveries for his first run in opposition to Australia at Melbourne in 2007.

Again in 2018, at Perth, Pujara took 100 balls to succeed in 24. If this was thought-about unimaginably gradual for a top-order batter, Pujara redefined ‘patience’ by scoring simply 12 off 100 balls in opposition to England at Lord’s in August 2021.

One recollects, the group cheered his first run that got here after 35 deliveries and a smiling Pujara punched gloves with Virat Kohli in a lighter vein.

Notwithstanding Pujara’s old school method to batting, his newest century in opposition to Bangladesh in December 2022 has introduced the grins again on the faces of the purists. After all, he’s certainly one of a form. In all likelihood, the final one, too.